The latest GameSpot E3 2008 coverage design makes me want to play a game that looks like it! The design kind of reminds me of F-zero so I have this incredible urge to play that game on SNES at the moment. When viewing the design more closely I noticed the tiny OTS in the left corner.

This year's E3 seems to be packed with more games that I really want to see compared to last year. Although the expo carries the label of E3 it has not carried the same vibe as previous E3 events. In fact, I do recall back in 2005 and 2006 that the old E3 vibe wasn't there like it used to be. There were more spectacle activities happening than there were in previous years.

The first year I attended E3 was in 1999; I was working as a freelance reporter for a variety of game fansites such as Jediknight.net, Gamers Extreme (now known as Gamers.com) and Strategyxtreme.com (Mplayer.com's strategy gamer channel). The focus that year was to check out a variety of upcoming LucasArts games and Strategy related games. I also met so many of my Quake friends in person for the first time. My first visit to E3 was packed with amazement. I recall believing that life could actually be one big video game arcade! It was called E3! The only difference was how I didn't need any quarters! I got in free and I had the chance to play games that weren't in arcades or on store shelves.

The second year I attended was in 2000. This was the best year I have attended E3 because it was packed with so many memories all in one week. Mplayer was running a spiffy booth that year and hosted a three combo tournament called Triple threat. The tournament featured three popular shooter games of it's time; Quake 3, Rogue Spear and Aliens versus Predator. Dennis Fong (Thresh) was expected to show but to his fans' dismay he didn't participate in the tournament that year. Instead, a new shooter super star came out of no where, Johnathan Wendel aka Fatal1ty. Wendel was not know in the West coast Quake community at the time but quickly gained ground and continued to do so. I met him and his father that year. He was extremely excited about winning a Suzuki Hayabusa motorcycle. This was the same year I met many owners and news reporters from a variety of game websites that distributed news I would send them through email. And don't laugh here but Daikatana was extremely popular at the Mplayer booth that year too. Hey now, be nice! *snicker* The game wasn't even released yet, it was a demo Killcreek and Romero showed that year. Oh, and I do recall Westwood Studios was still around at the time too. How could anyone ever forget this amazing company?

The third year was in 2001 and this was the last year I wrote journeys about experiences at E3. I represented GameSpy Industries as a sidekick reporter for preview content that year. It was still the typical OMG! I AM IN AN ARCADE vibe at E3 though.

Why do I bring this up? Well, E3 isn't completely the same. I can't get blisters on my feet like before but I can save tormenting my feet for Quakecon every year. I can't bump into old Quake friends or game developer buds by accident but I can accidentally find them on linkedin, facebook and myspace. I may not be able to do all of these things anymore but the truth in the matter is that the games are still there. That's one of the main reasons I first attended E3, it was primarily for the games. My memories of E3 haven't changed but being able to still see coverage is one indication that E3 does still exist; it has just evolved.

A friend passed along this link to a Simpsons Map and there are some Simpsons character models for download as well. It is insane how much detail it includes such as the Simpson's house and neighborhood. When I first viewed this youtube video about it I had thought it was the World of Padman, a popular Quake 3 modification.

I have updated my gamespot blog profile page. I was known as CaliforniaGirl for playing Command & Conquer, Quake and S.C.A.R.A.B. online on Mplayer, a former multiplayer gaming service. Therefore, I think my brother felt it would be good to keep my grass roots. Obviously, the CaliforniaGirl alias evolved into CaliGirl or XP-CaliGirl because killing people in games like Quake made it more difficult to see who I killed in the game. If you don't know what I mean because you never played Quake... I don't think we can be friends anymore!

This banner above was one of the three designs my brother did for me. Some of you may have known him as DarkViper, the guy who created UnrealKingdom.com among many other game fan sites in the late 90s. He was well-known for also being the creator of Epic's make something unreal contests. This design reminds me of the first time I played Unreal 1. I was beta testing it as a volunteer for Mplayer at the time.

I was playing Guitar Hero 3 with Kristin Reilly a few nights back. We were working towards the co-op Xbox 360 achievement. She kept telling me that I failed. I definitely did.... I was playing Medium and she was playing Hard difficulty. By the way, any of you see her in my video from last year's E3? Yep, she was one of the blonde girls in that video. Now you know why she may look familiar to you.

Kristin is pretty hardcore at Guitar Hero 3. She went out of her way to give me some pointers to improve my skills but also made sure I was aware that I stunk at the game. I mainly played Guitar Hero 1 on the PlayStation 2 when it first came out. Might I add that I never finished it and only got to Medium difficulty.I recently started playing GH2 on the 360 and noticed how much more difficult medium is in GH3. It was fun playing co-op but we never finished to receive the co-op achievement. I got tired of playing and it was getting late that night. I realized later that I could probably play co-op with other people online. Although, having her remarks of "you failed at life" wouldn't have been nearly as cool. Plus, hanging out with Oliver was also fun. I don't think he likes the sounds of the guitar controller though.

Anyways, I figured that I would also admit that I have also been playing Kareoke Revolution: American Idol on the Xbox 360. I've learned some tips from this guide here to help me overcome some of the achievement obstacles. I've been playing this game off and on for about 2 weeks now. I keep feeling like my neighbors are going to think I'm silly because I am singing my heart out to some cheesy songs. My voice keeps getting tired as well. I think it's a good karaoke party game to play with friends. I need to get another microphone to unlock some of the co-op achievements. However, paying 150 MS points to download other songs isn't so nice. I think I spent about 30 bux yesterday downloading about 15 of my favorite songs.

To be honest, I am being humble by admitting this! It is very hard to admit that I am playing a game and that I've unlocked most achievements on this than any other. Ya know? I mean, I have watched some American Idol episodes over the years but I'm not a fanatic of any sort. I am a fan of singing even if some people would call that silly. The only American Idol season I watched from start to finish was the one where Kelly Clarkson won. I would fail at any trivia questions if asked about all of the American Idol seasons.

Other than that, I have my finals at school this week. Have two papers due by tonight and I'm here writing a blog. Bad, me. *goes back to writing papers*

Over 100 Lego Batman screenshots have been added today. After giggling like a school girl at what the Batman characters looked like. Two of the three female characters I have enjoyed reading in the Batman or Catwoman comic books series will be in the game. I wonder if Poison Ivy will be in this game. Anyone hear anything about her yet?

I haven't checked out Lego Indie game yet. I plan to check it out but I'm not sure if I'll buy it. However, Batman, Cyberforce and X-Men are comic books with my favorite female comic book characters. I know I'll buy Lego Batman when it comes out. In my opinion, there aren't that many comic books that showcase such crazy, insane and mysterious female characters all in one comic book series.

Catwoman

Harlequin

Do I really need to describe why Harlequin, Catwoman (DC Comic books) and Poison Ivy are one of a kind?

Wha? GH Metallica? Don't get me wrong, there are a few Metallica songs I have loved in my time... however, I wish both companies would focus on getting me a keyboard! Maybe the future of rock band will fulfill my electric keyboard dream. However, I also want a way to sing a duet in rock band. I find that I am usually arm wrestling people to sing the songs.

Give me the mic! *slap person's arm, pulls microphone from hand*

You know, I thought about this a few days ago. Ever since Rock Band came out, I no longer have the craving to upload videos of myself singing songs. I sing so much that I get tired of singing after a few hours.